Council staff recommend rate rise

Central Coast Council staff are recommending a 2.7 per cent rate rise for next financial year.

Councillors will consider the recommendation at tonight's Central Coast Council meeting (Monday, May 27).

The rates rise is the highest rate the council can charge under the rate peg set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

This year rates went up 2.3 per cent on the previous year but water and sewerage charges didn't rise.

The maximum rate rise was set last September.

At the time, tribunal chair Dr Peter Boxall said the rate peg was higher than it had been in recent years primarily due to increases in labour and energy costs and higher construction costs for roads, drains, footpaths, kerbing and bridges.

The council was also due to accept the tribunal recommendations for the prices the council could charge for its water, sewerage and drainage services for the coming financial year.

The tribunal's draft recommendations, which were open to public comment until the end of April, included the statement: "Under our draft prices, bills would fall for most residential and non-residential customers.

"Bills would increase for some non-residential customers in the former Wyong area."

In May 2017, the Minister for Local Government directed Council to maintain the rate paths that were in place prior to the amalgamation of the former Gosford and Wyong Councils on 12 May 2016 and to do so until 30 June 2020.

As a result of that, residential rates are calculated differently depending on area.

In the old Gosford local government area, rates are based an "ad valorem" rate of 29 cents in the dollar with a minimum rate amount of $540 while the former Wyong area is based on 46 cents in the dollar but the minimum rate amount is $300.

SOURCE

Central Coast Council agenda 4.8, 27 May 2019

Website, 22 May 2019

Central Coast Council prices, IPART